Large format inkjet printers print on a variety of different substrates. Large format print substrates include, for example, paper, vinyl and textiles that may be supplied as flexible or rigid pre-cut sheets or rolls of flexible web. Currently, flexible web substrates are more common for large format printing. Some printers handle flexible web substrates up to five meters wide. Large flexible substrates may stretch or otherwise deform as they are moved through the printer, and they may shrink and expand in response to varying temperature and humidity. The irregular and sometimes unpredictable nature of these large flexible substrates may result in improper ink drop placement, thus degrading print quality. It is desirable to monitor the actual position of the substrate as it moves through the printer to allow for corrections to the placement of the ink drops on the substrate to help maintain acceptable print quality.
The same part numbers are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures.